How It All Began: We met when I was 15 and he was 17 at a party. We grew up together and I love that. Their Engagement Story: We were in New York City with our family for a white Christmas on New Year’s Eve 2012. We went shopping at Tiffany’s on 5th Avenue and we […]

How It All Began: We met when I was 15 and he was 17 at a party. We grew up together and I love that.

Their Engagement Story: We were in New York City with our family for a white Christmas on New Year’s Eve 2012. We went shopping at Tiffany’s on 5th Avenue and we found and bought my ring. He told me that he would hide it in a safe place and surprise me the following year. That afternoon, Ryan took me on a horse and carriage ride through Central Park while it was snowing and asked me. I was so surprised! He was so adamant he was going to make me wait!

Inspiration: A lot of it was from Etsy and Pinterest. Ryan and I knew we wanted a wedding away from home so we could make a weekend out of it, I couldn’t image just having one day, I’m greedy like that! haha

Photography:Sail Me To The Moon – Ming and Stephan were incredible! They made that whole experience so fun and relaxed.

Honeymoon Details: We stayed in Byron for the week after, but we are going to Europe this year.

Josie’s Most Memorable Moment: All of it! It’s hard to pin point one exact thing. I loved Ryan’s smile when I walked down the aisle and eating left over cake with the bridal party at 2am in the morning. I loved getting ready with the girls and the butterflies when the guest arrived.

Josie’s Advice For Future Brides: You cannot book TOO early!! Don’t sweat the small stuff because you’re the only one that will notice if something’s not perfectly right. Also find a friend that’s NOT a bride’s maid to be with you and help you on the day, it took so much pressure off.

Anything else? I’d like to add the wedding coordinator company ‘Byron Bay Weddings’, their team was so helpful and friendly. All our guests raved about the wait staff, it was like they were all guests too. It created a great vibe for the whole wedding, I cannot fault a single thing about them.

The Bride Wore: I wore the Grace Loves Lace Hollie dress with bare foot sandals from Forever Soles and no jewellery other than my engagement ring. The jewellery I wore was a little bracelet I found on Etsy that had a pearl and our initials engraved on it as well as a fresh flower head piece made by the Florist.

How It All Began: It was incredibly random that we had even met in the first place. Though both of us are from different parts of California, we met in England, 2009. I volunteered at an outreach music festival and Sean played guitar with one of the bands performing there. The first time I […]

How It All Began: It was incredibly random that we had even met in the first place. Though both of us are from different parts of California, we met in England, 2009. I volunteered at an outreach music festival and Sean played guitar with one of the bands performing there. The first time I met Sean was on a hotel shuttle bus late at night. He intentionally sat next to me because the night before he noticed me at a pub and said he fell hard for me right then and there :) I worked at the artist catering tent and as Sean tells it, he intentionally had more then several portions of lunch and dinner and a few extra cups of tea in order to just make eye contact with me. From my perspective, I had this conscious awareness of him and his whereabouts since the moment we met. I remember the exact conversation we had on the bus when we first met, and remember thinking he was incredibly darling and sweet. At the same time that he was trying to see more of me, I was so shy of him! We became friends in England and then he wooed my heart back in California.

Their Engagement Story: Sean was playing at a couple of festivals in England and took me with him. The first night we were in London. He was unsure about the exact time he wanted to propose during the 4 days we were there, but wanted to wait for a time that felt right. We spent a romantic dinner together and revisited the sights and streets we had walked the first trip we met in 2009. It was directly after midnight that he felt at place to propose on the Westminster Bridge. There were tears and I was in a trance for an hour so after!

Inspiration: Pintrest

Event Styling: It was pretty easy to style the wedding because of the location and venue we chose. There wasn’t much to style really because the open desert was breathtaking alone. Our coordinator, Kari Bradberry was great at executing what we had in mind for the day. She even took on a couple DIY projects such as hand painting the fabric entryway to the tent we used for the reception. She helped organize my vision and design for the aesthetic we were going for.

Photography:Shannen Norman – We loved her! She was incredibly sweet and easy to shoot with. She was also a little stealthy! I somehow didn’t see her most of the day after her and my time set aside together, yet she got such great intimate shots of the entire wedding!

Flowers: What’s so special is that the wedding flowers were done as a gift from a dear friend. To keep with the desert feel and muted natural tones of winter, we primarily went with greenery. For the dining tables, we lined them with greenery and candles down the center. We sparsely incorporated flowers throughout the decor; used in my bouquet, the flower girl crown, the cake/ cupcakes, and then as little accents here and there. Also, I loved that our flower girl tossed dried lavender.

Hair: I would have never imagined styling my own hair in a Travelodge for my wedding day, but that was the case. I wore my hair half up and pulled back a bit from my face, along with wearing the lovely Laxmi headpiece over my forehead.

Makeup: I did my own make up.

Honeymoon Details: We stayed at a couple of resorts in Thailand. Hua Hin and Cha-Am were regions we stayed in. Our favorite of the two resorts we stayed at was Hotel de la Paix in Cha-Am.

Erika’s Most Memorable Moment: Walking down the aisle to the song Sean wrote for that moment!

Erika’s Advice For Future Brides: Have a comfortable stay organised for you the night before your wedding. I am pretty laid back about accommodation and such – which is why I booked the Travelodge, but I found myself trying to shave in cold bath water and the heater didn’t work for that incredibly cold night in the high desert. Also, I would recommend not trying to do your own hair and make-up for your wedding day.

How It All Began: I was on a summer vacation with my daughter Madison – 9 years old; we decided to spend a week in London, a week in Paris and a week in Northern England. I met Neil at the 2012 Olympics, at a swimming event in Hyde Park. He was sitting in my […]

How It All Began: I was on a summer vacation with my daughter Madison – 9 years old; we decided to spend a week in London, a week in Paris and a week in Northern England. I met Neil at the 2012 Olympics, at a swimming event in Hyde Park. He was sitting in my seat and we struck up a conversation. We both knew there was chemistry, so we decided to exchange email addresses. Once I returned from my journey I reached out to Neil and was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from him the same day. Shortly after that we began Skyping each other everyday. In quick succession we began a long distance relationship. We pretty much knew after Neil’s first trip out to California that we loved each other and we wanted to close the gap. Eventually, Maddy and I moved to London in March, 2014 (3 months before our wedding).

Their Engagement Story: Neil came to visit Maddy and I in April of last year. I was completely unaware that he had previously called my mom and asked for her blessing. He had planned for us to take a ride on a hot air balloon at sunset (this was a total surprise to me). I wasn’t aware of his plans so I just thought we were going on another adventure. As we were up in the air, the pilot asked if anyone was celebrating anything, Neil said we were and another passenger nearly blew his proposal! Luckily, I didn’t catch on and we carried on gliding through the air. Once we landed, we all had champagne and were given a keepsake balloon made from a champagne cork and clasp. Neil decided we should go for a walk, so we left the others and started gazing at the sky. When I turned to look at Neil, he was down on one knee with a ring, he proposed to me as the moon was rising. It was very romantic!

Inspiration: Pinterest was a huge resource for me, I created a board dedicated to my wedding and kept adding anything that made me smile. I always envisioned something bright, ethereal and most importantly – bohemian!

Event Styling: I made the majority of my wedding decor with some help from family and my maid of honour prior to the wedding. With guidance, the staff at London Wetland Centre, The Old Dairy and my florist pulled off a lovely, intimate and romantic day/night for us.

Photography: The amazing Pen & Cam of McKinley-Rodgers Photography. This was where the majority of our budget went, but it was well worth it. They also did a sweet and touching video of our special day.

Flowers: The lovely Emma Soulsby of Ladybird Flowers made my bohemian floral dreams a reality. I wanted simple arrangements with lots of color, we used succulents, peonies, dahlias, eucalyptus, baby’s breath, daisies and English roses – among other lovely florals – to achieve the look. She made stunning floral crowns for myself and my daughter that had all the guests talking. We loved them so much that we dried them out to cherish forever.

Hair: My hairstyle was a waterfall braid with loose curls; it was inspired by many beautiful brides from the 60’s and 70’s. The fabulous Daisy Moyce styled myself, my daughter and one of my bridesmaid’s.

Make Up: I’m a make-up artist so I decided to do my own make-up for the big day, this helped keep our budget in check. I used a lot of MAC and Stila products to achieve my look.

Honeymoon Details: We haven’t taken our honeymoon yet, we’re bad newlyweds! We did a ‘mini-moon’ in London, we stayed 2 nights in a suite at The Montague on the Gardens. Neil has a hectic work schedule at the moment, but we’re looking forward to our 10 day honeymoon to the Amalfi Coast and Venice this year.

Angel’s Most Memorable Moment: There were so many beautiful moments that happened. The speeches, our first dance, kicking off my shoes when I could no longer bear to wear them. But, my favorite has to be when Neil gave Maddy a beautiful necklace to symbolize his love and adoration for her. We wanted her to feel included, after all this day was the day the 3 of us truly became a family. The funny thing is, the necklace got tangled up in the box that Neil had carried it in. So it took us 20 minutes to untangle it (with the help from our officiant), everyone had a laugh and it was very much our style…to always find the humour in any situation!

Angel’s Advice For Future Brides: Make sure to book your favourite vendors early on to avoid disappointment. Utilize your friends and family for help with your big day, this makes things easier and more special. Get the most out of planning by using websites like Pinterest and Etsy; these helped me with inspiration and purchasing one of a kind items to incorporate in my wedding. If you invite children to your wedding, make sure to provide them with activities to do. It doesn’t cost much and keeps everyone happy. We made the kid’s menu with a wedding picture on the opposite side and I bought crayons, stickers, bubbles and colouring pages.

Anything else? Remember why you’re celebrating! It’s one day in the rest of your lives, so make sure to cherish it. Try to stay with your significant other as much as possible, it goes by fast! Take lots of photos, smile and dance your feet off!

The Bride Wore: I wore the Grace Loves Lace Emme-waisted dress, it made me feel like a bohemian, flower child. The details on my dress were truly stunning, but I love the low scoop back with rosettes element. Everyone said it was totally my style and I couldn’t agree more. Such a dream to wear!

The Groom Wore: Neil chose to hire a suit since he owns several already and didn’t want to be fussed with endless options. Neil decided on a lovely shade of blue for his suit, a crisp white shirt, a silver-grey vest and a lemon coloured tie all from Moss Brothers. Neil’s shoes were Italian brown leather.

How it all began: We randomly met at a birthday party of a mutual friend. Slowly but truly the love between us grew. Their engagement story: On a holiday in the Maldives, while having a good chat and a few Mojitos at the poolside :-) Inspiration: We were inspired by travelling, reading blogs, and following our hearts. The […]

What was your most memorable moment? As it was surprisingly cold (around 10° C) after sunset (normally in August the evenings are very warm too), everyone started dancing even before the first course was served, to heat up a little! Literally everyone had gone wild. It was epic to see everyone dancing like fools :-) Ask Danelle :-)

What is your tip of advice for future brides? As the time is just running you hardly realize what’s going on. I was in a bubble… I’m very glad Danelle was there to capture the moments, so we’ll be able to enjoy this special day again!

How it all began: We met through a mutual friend. I always felt an instant connection with Zac from the first time we met, but we took it very slow and just hung out as friends for a few months before we took it to the next level. I think it was nice doing that […]

How it all began: We met through a mutual friend. I always felt an instant connection with Zac from the first time we met, but we took it very slow and just hung out as friends for a few months before we took it to the next level. I think it was nice doing that – we really enjoyed each other’s company and that friendship is really the basis of our relationship now.

Their engagement story: We were vacationing in Sendona, Arizona. We hiked up to a beautiful mountain, when Zac was waiting for the other hikers to leave. I started to get antsy since heavy dark rain clouds were starting to move in fast. He still wanted to wait so we were alone on the mountain. Finally when the last hiker left, he got down on one knee and proposed. It was pretty special. And of course, we got drenched by a crazy monsoon on our way back from the hike. It was hilarious!

Inspiration: We just wanted a laid back, outdoorsy wedding. I looked at Greenweddingshoes.com a ton for ideas.

Flowers: We wanted to keep everything very simple. My friend Vicky planted succulents in some simple white bowls, then I had my florist jazz the arrangements up by adding some of the same flowers that matched my bouquet. She did such a good job.

Make up: My friend Kim did my make up. We literally looked online the morning of my wedding for inspiration.

Honeymoon details: We went to Bali in September!

Kamilla’s Most Memorable Moment: My Dad’s speech. He literally had every single person crying, then laughing, then crying, and then laughing. It was so touching.

Kamilla’s Advice For Future Brides: Listen to your mom. I didn’t and regret it now! Etsy has EVERYTHING you could ever want for your wedding. I’m not the most crafty person, so I ended buying almost everything I needed on Etsy.. signage, gifts, etc. It was great!

How It All Began: We met in the Kimberley’s in Northern Western Australia on a million acre cattle station – Liveringa Station – where I worked as a home school tutor and governess for 2 primary school aged boys and their 2 younger siblings. Tom arrived a month later as a ringer and my eyes popped […]

How It All Began: We met in the Kimberley’s in Northern Western Australia on a million acre cattle station – Liveringa Station – where I worked as a home school tutor and governess for 2 primary school aged boys and their 2 younger siblings. Tom arrived a month later as a ringer and my eyes popped out of my head when I saw him, basically it was instant attraction. Luck would have it he was single and hilarious and that was it!

Their Engagement Story: Tom and I were living in Albury at the time and we drove to Mt Bogong after work on a Friday. We were camping that night at the bottom of the mountain. He brought our favourite wine and we had a little picnic by the creek that evening and swagged it, before climbing to the top of Mt Bogong the next morning. We got to the top and had a yummy curried egg sandwich just out of the wind. We were about to head back down the mountain after lunch but he wanted to go to the peak again. So we went back to the top of Mt Bogong; it was a picture perfect day with no one in sight, and all of sudden he dropped down on one knee and popped the question! I think all of Victoria heard my answer!! He proposed with the ring that would be my wedding ring. We later designed my engagement ring and swapped it once it arrived. When we got to the bottom he surprised me again when he took me to a gorgeous spa/chalet that he’d booked for the night with a balcony and a view that looked at Mt Bogong – what a man!!!

How It All Began: We met years ago through my sister. My sister’s boyfriend at the time (now her husband) had a best friend who lived in Florida but spent his summers in Huntington Beach, California (where my family lived and I grew up). I was never interested in him. He was my little sister’s, […]

How It All Began: We met years ago through my sister. My sister’s boyfriend at the time (now her husband) had a best friend who lived in Florida but spent his summers in Huntington Beach, California (where my family lived and I grew up). I was never interested in him. He was my little sister’s, boyfriend’s, best friend. He will tell you he always thought I was pretty but apparently I was a bit standoffish. He was this toe head surfer kid who was in a band. And at the time I was trying to convince myself that he wasn’t my type. He would always try to text me or make any sort of contact with me. I always blew him off. But he never gave up! Well a few years later he had grown up into the most handsome, tall, kind, and funny person. He suddenly looked like a classic old-Hollywood leading man. And had the sweetest heart and smile to go with it all. Now I was convinced that whatever Nathan Gallagher was, he was exactly my type. But he lived on the other side of the country. I convinced myself that it could never work and so I always kept my heart at a safe distance. But, again, he would not give up! After about a year of flirtily hanging out whenever he was in town and cross-country communication we made it official the day after we were the best man and maid of honor in my sister and her husband’s wedding. Hint to all men: the day after a beautiful wedding is a great time to ask a girl out! I knew it would be hard but I knew he was definitely worth it. He spent so much time working so hard at making me fall in love with him, I knew he was worth it. I knew he was the kind of man that would never give up on me and spend each day making me fall in love even more. And he has!

Their Engagement Story: After a year and a half of dating, with half of that time spent separated by 3,000 miles and the other half with me living in Vero Beach, Nathan asked to drive me to lunch after church and then take me home. But before he dropped me off at my apartment he wanted us to go paddle boarding. We stand up paddle together at least once a week so it wasn’t an out of place suggestion. I was, however, completely surprised when we paddle boarded to a tiny little deserted island off the coast where he had set up a picnic complete with lanterns, twinkle lights, and flower garlands hung in the palms and fig trees surrounding us. After drinking iced coffee together and enjoying some yummy treats he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course my answer was, “yes”. That afternoon was an absolute dream. It was perfectly, “us”. Adventurous, sweet, and with coffee!

Inspiration: Both Nathan and I are beach people. My dad is a hall of fame member, former professional surfer, and originator of the Pro Tour and popular surf contests such as the US Open and others. Nathan’s family helped start two surfing clothing companies, Billabong and Hurley. So we are fully immersed in the surf industry and culture. We spend every spare minute at the beach surfing, paddle boarding, or on the family boats. We wanted that to be reflected in our style. A very back yard, bonfire, on the beach vibe was what we were going for. We love traveling and have traveled to 6 continents to surf so we picked some of our favorite destinations and chose what we loves about those places and tried to create that feel in our wedding style (I’m looking at you, Byron bay). We started with a clean, white foundation and built upon that tons of tropical flowers in soft colors, gold accent pieces, black and white stripe touches, and plenty of string lights and candles. We also wanted everyone to have fun. Between our photo booth, s’more station, fire pits, bounce houses, and all night dance party, I would say we definitely accomplished that.

Event Styling: My sister, Leah Bradley, did all of the styling. We planned our wedding in three months so she really had her work cut out for her. Along with Leah, a family friend, Tami McKeown really helped bring everything together in such a short time. They really are just the best!

Photographer: We used the photography company, Amanda Christine Photography, based in San Diego, California. After looking at their portfolio online, I knew I had to have them capture our day. She had the ability to actually CAPTURE the event. I didn’t want the same posed photos I had seen over and over again for years. I wanted it to feel fresh and to remind us years later of the way we all felt on that day. I wanted to see myself and Nathan’s personality in the photos, not the photographers. Amanda and her fiancé, Scott, we’re more than willing to come out to Florida, on such short notice and as you can see they captured the most stunning photos of our day.

Flowers: I ordered the flowers myself online. Then myself, my sister, and a friend from church helped me arrange bouquets and garlands. I wanted to have a tropical but still soft and feminine feel to all the arrangements. So I mixed protea flowers in soft shades of pink and white with pink peonies and garden roses. We also picked some of the surrounding tropical foliage that grows all over the place here. It was a perfect mix of feminine, tropical, and uniquely ours.

Hair: I had my hair done at a salon in Vero called Metamorphis. I had my hair done by Hanna and my bridesmaid’s hair was done by Mariella. All of my bridesmaids brought in their own pictures of how they wanted their hair. They all chose beachy waves or loose curls. It was very fitting for their outfits and the setting. I had my hair blown out. I wanted it soft, relaxed, and natural. Hanna was able to do just that. I absolutely love it from every angle and in every picture.

Make up: A friend of mine from church did all of our makeup and we did our own touch ups throughout the day. Once again I wanted a very clean, glowy face. I used only foundation, bronzer, and mascara. Along with a coral/berry lipstick. My bridesmaids took the same natural, just stepped off the beach approach to their look also.

Honeymoon Details: We spent the first two nights after our weddings at our home together before leaving for our honeymoon. It was so special. Nathan had been living there for a few months, but of course I had been getting it all ready for our life together but didn’t move in until our wedding night. It was so beautiful to finally be able to come home to our home together. After a few quiet days at home, we went to California for our honeymoon. We spent one week at the Paradise Point Resort and Spa in San Diego, California. While there we stayed in a waterfront bungalow and indulged in great, local Mexican food, jet skis, our beachside firepit, one of the resort’s many pools, and local shopping destinations. We spent our next week staying in an ocean front suite at the L’Auberge in Del mar. Here we had walking distance access to some of the best food, music, and coffee in the world (I’m talking about you, Lofty Coffee). Both of these destinations allowed us plenty of time for surfing, tanning, snorkeling, swimming, great sushi, coffee, movies, shopping, and fun while still having plenty of space for down time. We spent two weekends staying with my parents in Huntington Beach. It was fun to be able to catch up with them and relax together after the wedding.

Hannah’s Most Memorable Moment: After we said our vows, Nathan and I were the first to leave the church. We ran outside and we’re waiting by our car to go off and take pictures. But since we were the first ones out we were all alone. It was the only private moments we had until after the reception. It was really special. Not many words were said. We basically just giggled and kept saying “we’re married!” Over and over again. It really was so special.

Hannah’s Advice For Future Brides: Don’t be worried about pleasing anyone but you and your husband. Also don’t get caught up in impressing other people. Let your wedding style reflect you and your husband and the love you share. Seriously make it as personal as possible. You don’t have to worry about spending tons of money either. Our wedding was so much fun and gorgeous, but not crazy expensive. The night is about two people falling in love, that is the most beautiful thing in the world. It will be the main event! Everything else is just for fun. Also have fun and invite all your friends! Nathan is the youth pastor at our church and we wanted to invite the entire youth group and so many people told us not to. But we did and in the end they were the life of the party! There is nothing more fun than 40 teenagers on a packed dance floor when a One Direction song comes on!

The Bride Wore: I wore the Graces Loves Lace Loren dress in white tulle. I had seen the image of the dress on Pinterest months before I was even dating Nathan. All that time it stayed stored in my memory vault somewhere because as soon as Nathan asked me to be his bride, it was all I could think about. Instantly I was on a mad mission to find it. After about a month or so without any luck I stumbled upon it again in the wedding section of Pinterest. I was so excited. I never had any other dress planned. It was always the Loren. I loved the timeless, gorgeous detailing of the dress. It fit perfectly and I felt like Grace Kelly meets Bridget Bardot. Everyone says it was absolutely the most gorgeous dress they had ever seen. I felt divine. It was perfect by all accounts!

The only jewellery I wore was my engagement ring that had Nathan custom designed through Gold and Silver in Huntington Beach. It was gorgeous and made a statement all on it’s own. I am not much of a jewelry wearer so I knew I’d feel out of my element if I wore anything too flashy or overbearing. I also wore the Alaen Headpiece and Jolie veil from Grace Loves Lace. I had gone back and forth debating between a veil and a headpiece and then I thought, why not combine them? I tied the headpiece around my veil for the ceremony and the first part of pictures. Then I transitioned into just the headpiece for the rest of the pictures and the ceremony. I was so glad I did that. I love the elegance of a veil but also the freedom I had to dance around all night with just the headpiece.

The Groom Wore: The groomsmen wore pants and suit jackets from Forever 21 Men. We were so excited about the finding those. The price was low but the quality was high and the fit was perfect. The guys all wore white button up shirts from H&M. We really were able to get a good deal on all of the guys clothes. We ordered a black silk skinny tie from the Tie Bar for Nathan and tropical print pocket squares (also from the Tie Bar) for the groomsmen. They all chose their own shoes. Most went for Clark’s or H&M canvas lace ups. Nathan’s wedding band we ordered off of etsy from “DesignedtoShineACC”. It has my initials on it. It was the coolest mens wedding band we had seen. He loves it.